UNISON calls on minister to unlock EA pay talks ahead of strike

UNISON is calling on the secretary of state of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Thérèse Coffey to meet to resolve the current Environment Agency (EA) pay dispute.

EA pay was frozen in 2021 – with staff having no pay rise from July 2020.

Staff in the agency have seen their pay eroded by over 20% in the last decade and are now “working one day in every five for nothing”. UNISON members have voted to take strike action over pay for the first time this week.

Workers who maintain important safety structures such as the Thames Barrier, coastal sea defences and those protecting communities from floods, water pollution, spills, waste fires and fly-tipping will walk out on Wednesday 18 January from 8am to 5pm.

UNISON national secretary for the environment Donna Rowe-Merriman said: “Dedicated staff have seen their salaries eroded and the cost of living crisis sees many at breaking point.

“The public must be astounded that as flood waters rise across England, the government is making no attempts to try and resolve the dispute and reach an agreement.

“The sum allocated to the agency was woefully inadequate to recruit and retain skilled public servants in key roles. The agency is seeing the impact of low pay on staff recruitment and retention in a similar way to that seen across the NHS – but is not seeking engagement to try and address the key issues.’

The government’s pay remit was set before summer 2022 and did not take inflation or spiralling energy bills into account.

This remit is non-negotiable and the agency has no delegated power to amend without prior approval from DEFRA, leaving staff with little alternative than to take industrial action to try and seek an improved offer as wages fail to keep up with living costs.

Ms Rowe-Merriman continued: “Last week we saw government ministers meeting with unions to attempt to find a resolution to other ongoing disputes. We have had no response to repeated requests to meet with various DEFRA ministers to outline the key issues in the agency and to seek an improved offer.

“The lack of any engagement from the secretary of state to try and find a resolution to this dispute when the two largest trade unions are taking industrial action is unfathomable.”

Where there is a threat to life or property from incidents such as a major flood, officers will step in as emergency ‘life and limb cover’ has been agreed.

The article UNISON calls on minister to unlock EA pay talks ahead of strike first appeared on the UNISON National site.

The streets of London – pictures from the picket lines

Wednesday’s day of strike action in the ambulance service, across England, saw pickets throughout London.

Touring the capital was UNISON head of health Sara Gorton – above, with pickets at Waterloo – moving from there, where she addressed massed ranks of news media, to sites including Deptford and Greenwich.

She was accompanied by photographer Marcus Rose, who recorded events.

Waterloo picket – sun shining through flags

Pickets at Waterloo attaching a sign to an ambulance to stress provision of emergency cover

Waterloo picket – UNISON head of health Sara Gorton being interviewed by media

UNISON ad van between two ambulances at Waterloo

Pickets at Waterloo with an ad van

Waterloo picket with 'honk for the NHS' handwritten placard

Sara Gorton addressing media at Waterloo picket

Flags waving on Waterloo picket

Three pickets with placard, around a brazier, at Deptford

Cyclist waving to pickets at Deptford

Pickets at Deptford applaud as emergency cover ambulance leave the station

Pickets at Deptford Show placards to passing traffic

Pickets at Deptford with 'honk your support' placard

Pickets at Deptford

Sara Gorton with pickets at Deptford

Sara Gorton talking to media at Deptford

Pickets at Greenwich stand clear as emergency cover ambulance leaves

Sara Gorton with UNISON flag, with pickets at Greenwich

Pickets at Greenwich greet two small dogs

Pickets at Greenwich with a brazier

Sara Gorton listening to a picket at Greenwich

Christina McAnea tours pickets in Yorkshire and the North East

Through sun and rain, on the picket lines in Bristol

#PutNHSpayright – our rolling covering from the day itself

 

The article The streets of London – pictures from the picket lines first appeared on the UNISON National site.

University staff vote to strike over ‘ludicrously low’ pay rise

Thousands of university staff including cleaners, administrators, library, catering and security workers have voted to strike in a dispute over pay, says UNISON.

The workers, some of the lowest paid in the higher education sector, will walk out after rejecting a 3% pay award from the University and Colleges Employers Association in May, the union says. Staff had asked for a pay increase 2% above the rate of inflation,

With inflation topping 10% and further increases on the way, the award effectively represents a pay cut, the union says. The increase won’t touch the sides of the cost-of-living pressures decimating household budgets, says UNISON.

Staff in more than 20 universities across the UK will stage a series of strikes later in the year. Employees from four universities in Scotland, one in Northern Ireland and 17 in England will take action.

Institutions in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Bath, Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow will all be affected, says UNISON.

UNISON head of education Mike Short said: “Low pay has been a massive problem for the university sector for over a decade. Staff have become expert at stretching their pay to make ends meet. But the shock of the cost-of-living crisis has pushed many to breaking point.

“It’s always a very difficult decision to strike but staff feel they’ve been left with no choice. A 3% pay award is nowhere near enough and the employers know it. This ludicrously low increase does nothing to ease the financial pressures for thousands of struggling staff.

“Managers must put people before profits and pay staff proper, fair wages. If they don’t, employees will vote with their feet and leave universities for better paid, less stressful jobs.”

Notes to editors:
– Staff at the following universities have voted to strike: Manchester Metro University, Leeds Beckett University, Birkbeck (University of London), Liverpool John Moores University, City (University of London), Liverpool Hope University, King’s College London, University of Brighton, University of the West of England, London South Bank University, Bath Spa University, University of Leeds, University of Gloucestershire, University of Bristol, Royal Northern College Of Music, SOAS (University of London), University of Winchester, St Mary’s University College (Belfast), Edinburgh Napier University, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Glasgow and Robert Gordon University.
– The strike ballot opened across all UK nations on 22 July 2022. In Scotland the ballot closed on 19 August 2022. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the ballot closed on 26 August 2022.
– The University and Colleges Employers Association made their final pay award on 9 May 2022.
– The 3% increase is for all staff earning £25,627 annually and above. Staff earning less than this were offered a slightly higher percentage, on a sliding scale, with those earning £17,338 being offered a rise of £1,560 and those earning £24,871 offered a rise of only £771.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

 

The article University staff vote to strike over ‘ludicrously low’ pay rise first appeared on the UNISON National site.

AQA strikers take their fight to company HQ

Striking UNISON members employed by exam board AQA brought their fight to central London today, when a group of them visited the company’s headquarters in Tavistock Square.

They were joined by general secretary Christina McAnea, as they handed out leaflets to passers by and explained why they were on strike.

“Our AQA members do really important, demanding jobs and deserve decent pay,” said Ms McAnea. “It’s time AQA treated their staff fairly instead of undermining their own workforce”.

Earlier, the group, which had travelled down from Manchester, visited another AQA site in Milton Keynes, taking the message of their action – and biscuits – to staff working there, before being told to leave by a manager.

The strikers are currently in their fourth period of industrial action in a dispute over pay and threats of fire and rehire.

Management has imposed a new pay framework, without consultation, which leaves many of the lowest-paid staff at AQA worse off – even without the current cost of living crisis. On top of that, an offer of a 3% pay deal for this year would mean a real-terms pay cut for all staff.

This comes as the company is set to spend an estimated £8 million on largely cosmetic work at its Manchester office. AQA is currently refusing to return to meaningful negotiations.

The article AQA strikers take their fight to company HQ first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Exam board staff to strike on A-level results day, says UNISON  

Staff at exam board AQA are planning to strike over pay later ?this month on the day students receive their A-level grades, says UNISON today (Monday).

The 180 workers?, including those in customer services ?who would normally take calls from schools, parents and pupils about the results, will take action from Wednesday 17 to Sunday 21 August.

UNISON says this could cause issues for thousands of teenagers trying to contact AQA on Thursday 18 August?, A-level results day.

The union says ?this is the last thing dedicated AQA staff ?want to do. But employees are left with no alternative, while exam board executives refuse to budge beyond a pay offer that’s substantially below inflation.

?Wages ?at AQA increased last year by just 0.6%?, says UNISON. This year employees have been offered 3%, less than a third of the lowest measure of inflation (9.4%?). Last week the Bank of England said inflation could hit 13% by the autumn.

?UNISON says AQA is stubbornly refusing to discuss pay with staff. The union is also critical of senior managers for threatening workers ?with the sack and ?re-employment on inferior contracts if they don’t accept ?the current offer.

These new dates will be the third round of industrial action. AQA staff are also due to strike this Friday and into the weekend (12 to 15 August). They previously took action the weekend before last (29-31 July?).

UNISON ?North West regional manager Vicky Knight said: “?Employees at AQA are disappointed ?the company will neither talk to them nor ?come back with a realistic pay offer. ?This leaves staff ?with no choice but to escalate their action.

“Disrupting A-Level results day is not a decision ?anyone has take?n lightly. However, AQA staff have been treated appallingly and ?only bold action ?will get their employer to the table.

“AQA ?must come up with a serious offer to prevent any further disruption.”

A striking AQA worker said: “A-level results day is a really crucial time?. Many people can remember what it was like receiving ?their grades. No one wants to disrupt that?.

“After the first ?weekend of strike action, ?AQA staff were flooded with messages ?of support, many ?from people ?with children awaiting their grades?. They don’t mind waiting longer ?for the results if it means the people work?ing so hard to deliver th?em get paid fairly.

“?AQA colleagues are coming together ?to tak?e a stand against what’s happening. It was clear from the picket line turnout that there’s growing support, and we’re determined to win a fair resolution.”   

Notes to editors?:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Sam Doherty M: 07432 549759 E: s.doherty@unison.co.uk
Vicky Knight M: 07508 877057 E: v.knight@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk

The article Exam board staff to strike on A-level results day, says UNISON   first appeared on the UNISON National site.

University staff reject below-inflation pay offer and vote on strike action

Thousands of university workers including administrators, cleaners, security and catering staff will vote today (Friday) on whether to strike over pay, says UNISON.

Employees overwhelmingly rejected a 3% pay offer from the University and Colleges Employers Association in May.

More than four in five (83%) workers turned down the increase that does little to help with the crushing cost-of-living pressures staff face, says UNISON.

The union says employers refused to increase their offer despite UNISON negotiators making the case for a rise of 2% above inflation (which is currently 11.8) after a decade of pay freezes and real-terms pay cuts.

Staff struggling to make ends meet as prices continue to soar and have been left with no option but to consider striking, the union adds.

More than 20,000 workers across 93 universities will be balloted, says UNISON. Other education unions, including the University and College Union, have also rejected the 3% offer and are expected to ballot staff on strike action, the union adds.

UNISON head of education Mike Short said: “University staff have endured years of wage stagnation. With prices going through the roof and inflation at an all-time high a 3% pay offer is a significant pay cut.

“No worker wants to go out on strike, but staff can’t afford to feed their kids, pay for housing or fill up their petrol tanks. They are desperate for a wage increase that reflects the work they do to keep universities going and to make up for years of poverty pay.

“Employers must invest in staff or they’ll leave the sector for better paid, less stressful jobs in retail or hospitality.”

Notes to editors:
– The strike ballot opens on the 22 July and closes on 19 August in Scotland and on 26 August in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
– The retail prices index rate of inflation is currently 11.8%.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

 

The article University staff reject below-inflation pay offer and vote on strike action first appeared on the UNISON National site.